Glugginn bleytist þegar ég gleymi regnhlífinni.

The window gets wet when I forget the umbrella.

Breakdown of Glugginn bleytist þegar ég gleymi regnhlífinni.

• ég: I
• þegar: when
• glugginn: the window
• regnhlífin: the umbrella
• gleyma: to forget
• bleytast: to get wet

Questions & Answers about Glugginn bleytist þegar ég gleymi regnhlífinni.

What does the -inn ending on glugginn indicate?

The ending -inn is the definite article for masculine nouns in the nominative singular. The base noun gluggi means “a window,” and glugginn means “the window.”

What is the function and meaning of bleytist in this sentence?

Bleytist is the 3rd person singular present form of the middle-voice verb bleytast, which means “to get wet.” It’s not a passive construction with an external agent; rather, the window itself becomes wet.

How is the verb bleytast conjugated in the present tense?

Here is bleytast in the present tense:
• ég bleytist – I get wet
• þú bleytist – you (sing.) get wet
• hann/hún/það bleytist – he/she/it gets wet
• við bleytumst – we get wet
• þið bleytist – you (plur.) get wet
• þeir/þær/þau bleytast – they get wet

Why is regnhlífinni in the dative case?

The verb gleymi (“I forget”) requires a dative object in Icelandic. So “I forget the umbrella” is ég gleymi regnhlífinni, with regnhlífinni marked dative.

How do you form the definite dative singular of regnhlíf?

Regnhlíf is a feminine noun with stem regnhlíf-. To make it definite dative singular, you add -inni, yielding regnhlífinni (“the umbrella” as the object of gleymi).

What does the conjunction þegar mean and how is it used here?

Þegar means “when” in a temporal sense. It introduces a subordinate clause describing the time at which the main action happens. In our sentence, it links “the window gets wet” with “I forget the umbrella.”

Why is the finite verb gleymi in second position after þegar?

Icelandic follows the V2 (verb-second) rule even in subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like þegar. So the order is: þegar (conjunction) – ég (subject) – gleymi (finite verb) – remainder of the clause.

Can you omit the pronoun ég in the subordinate clause as you sometimes do in English?

Yes, subject pronouns can be dropped when the verb form clearly indicates person and number. You could say Glugginn bleytist þegar gleymi regnhlífinni, but including ég is common in writing for clarity.